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THIS little book makes no claim to the dignity of a history, 
nor does it offer any original contribution to the material 
of the history of this interesting subject. But 1896 being 
the centennial year of Tennessee, some salient questions, 
in regard to its beginning as a State, will naturally arise. 
These questions this pamphlet attempts to answer by a nar- 
rative of the important facts in its early history. 



COPYRIGHTED, 1 895. 







®n the • ■ • Bn& tbe ■ • • 

Matauga -h Cumbeilan^ 

UST as the colonies were girding themselves for the 
Revolutionary War, the advance guard of Western 
pioneers was crossing the Alleghanies and the Blue 
Ridge. But we are specially concerned with only a 
mere fragment of this band of adventurous nation builders 
that were breaking over the barrier of the mountains. Into 
that part of North Carolina now known as Tennessee this 
small fragment pressed its way, and so, as early as 1768, on 
an island in the beautiful Watauga River, ten families of set- 
tlers established themselves, thus making the beginning of 
the State of Tennessee. But the beauty of the hills and 
valleys and the fertility of the soil of what is now East Ten- 
nessee soon attracted others, who were urged also by the op- 
pression of the British Governors of the older States. These 
left the homes which they had already built in North Carolina, 
Virginia, and South Carolina; and founded new ones along 
the borders of the Watauga, the French Broad, the Holston, 
and Clinch Rivers. 

In the Watauga settlement were two men destined to play 
an important part in the making of two States: Daniel 
Boone and James Robertson. The former, moved by the 
spirit of adventure, crossed the mountains to the westward 
and solved the mystery of the land that lay beyond. Bring- 
ing back to the Watauga marvelous and almost incredible 
accounts of the richness of the soil of the new country and 
the abundance of its game, a large party returned with him, 
following the paths of the deer and buffalo, to make a set- 
tlement; and thus Watauga is, in a sense, the mother of Ken- 
tucky. 

When Boone and his party left, James Robertson remained 

(3) 



Qn tbe Matauaa an& tbe Cumberland). 



behind, busily engaged in building a cabin and clearing some 
land to plant a small crop of corn in the spring. But he 
looked to the high mountains toward the west, and he too 
became keenly curious to know the land beyond them ; so he 
prepared himself at once, and, bidding his comrades fare- 
well, turned his face again to the west. For three days he 
struggled with labor and pain through tangled undergrowth 
and brier bushes. On the third day the clouds obscured the 
sun, and even this practiced woodsman was lost in the untrod- 
den forest. He was compelled to turn his horse loose, and, 
subsisting on roots and berries, he dragged himself along on 
foot until finally, through sheer exhaustion, he fell down thor- 
oughly discouraged. But he heard the sound of a hunter's 
horn, and feebly called for help. John Greer and Jonas 
Cartwright came to his relief, and put new life into his jaded 
spirit by telHng him that a few miles farther he could look 
down upon the hills and valle3'S of an exceedingly fair coun- 
try. Thus what is now Middle Tennessee came into the 
realization of its future founder. 

The two hunters nursed him tenderly in their rude hut un- 
til he was strong enough to make the journey back to Wa- 
tauga, he dreaming all the time, no doubt, of claiming from 
beast and savage the lands of which he had heard. 

On his return to the settlement he found everything in a 
state of turmoil and trouble. The settlers v^ere organizing 
themselves into bands called " Regulators," in order to resist 
the encroachments of the Royalists upon their rights. The 
spirit of Lexington and Bunker Hill was stirring vigorously 
among these extreme western guardians of American civili- 
zation. The result was the unsuccessful battle of Alamance, 
May i6, 1771, in which they actually fought against Gov. 
Tryon and the regular British troops. This shows the tem- 
per of the men who were to be the founders of the great 
State of Tennessee. 

It is very probable that Capt. Robertson with his com- 
pany participated in this battle. Fearing that the trouble 
was not over, he joined his wife and family in Wake Coun- 



®n tbe Matauaa anD tbe CumbeiianD. 5 



ty, N. C. But his heart was still in the West, and a short 
while afterwards he led a large party of emigrants to the 
Watauga settlement. This company of emigrants really fled 
from the oppression of Gov. Tryon. Hence it is not sur- 
prising to find, just one year after the battle of Alamance, 
the organization of the remarkable "Watauga Association," 
which, if taken in its full meaning, is virtually a declaration 
of independence. At any rate, it was the first attempt at 
independent civil government west of the mountains. James 
Robertson, John Sevier, and eleven others were chosen com- 
missioners to draw up a compact of agreement and govern- 
ment. For six years the settlement was an independent little 
republic, until 1778, when it became Washington County of 
North Carolina. It was these same men who, a few years later, 
broke the tide of British success in the South, and made King's 
Mountain the turning point of the Revolutionary War. 

It would seem now that the men of Watauga would want 
to enjoy the well-earned pleasures and advantages of com- 
parative security, and gather the fruits of peace. But not 
so; their mission was still westward, and the earnest pioneer 
felt that there was no rest for him so longc as there were sav- 
age men to conquer, trees to fell, bridges to be built, waste 
places to reclaim, and cities to be founded. In this spirit, 
together with the natural zest for adventure which strong 
men feel, in the spring of 1779, Capt. James Robertson, 
George Freeland, William Neely, John Greer, John Handly, 
William Overall, and others set out for the valley of the 
Cumberland in order to plant a small crop, and thus prepare 
the way for the larger body of settlers whom Robertson was 
organizing to be the " advance guard of Western civiliza- 
tion." 

This was the beginning of the first serious attempt to set- 
tle the district of country now known as Davidson County. 
The very great abundance of large game had attracted such 
adventurous huntsmen and traders as the Frenchmen, De 
Monbreun and Charleville, and Jasper Mansker, Sharp, 
Holliday, and Spencer. 



®n tbe Matauga anO tbe Cumberland, 



After preparing in a rude way for those who were to fol- 
low, Capt. Robertson and his associates returned to the Wa- 
tauga; but they did not tarry long. On November i, 1779, 
he, Robertson, led his band of pioneers on a toilsome, try- 
ing journey toward their future home on the Cumberland. 
In spite of snow and storm and unusually bitter winter 
weather, on Christmas Day the weary but dauntless travel- 
ers reached the Cumberland River at a point just opposite 
the Nashville bluffs. On a cheerless winter day they crossed 
on the frozen river and at once set themselves to work build- 
ing rude log huts and fortresses for the shelter and protec- 
tion of the women and children who were following by water 
under the charge of Col. Donelson. In one of the boats 
Capt. Robertson himself had his wife and five children and 
other relatives. But this remarkable journey of many miles 
down the Watauga, into the Holston, thence into the Ten- 
nessee, into the Ohio, and up the Cumberland to the French 
Lick, was accomphshed in the midst of frequent attacks of 
Indians, dangers of storm and water, and the horrors of a 
contagious disease. 

For the purpose of defense, this band on the Cumberland 
resolved itself into a military organization with Capt. Robert- 
son in command; John Donelson, lieutenant colonel; Rob- 
ert Lucas, major; and George Freeland, Isaac Bledsoe, 
James Leiper, John Rains, and Andrew Buchanan each in 
command of a company. Near the French Lick there were 
eight stations or blockhouses into which the people would 
gather in times of danger: The Bluff, Mansker's, Bledsoe's 
Lick (now Castahan Springs), Fort Union (now Hayes- 
boro), Eaton's, and Stone's River, near the Hermitage. 

Just here it may be well to give an account of the relations 
of the first settlers of Tennessee with their terrible foes — 
the Indians, the aboriginal inhabitants of the State. From 
the beginning, in spite of all efforts at concihation, every at- 
tempt at settlement was disputed by the savages, and their 
wary cunning and bravery was met by a superior cunning 
and bravery on the part of those who came from the Caro- 



®n tf3e iKHatauoa anD tbc (Iumberlan&. 



linas and Virginia to plant the seeds of a State between the 
mountains of East Tennessee and along the valleys of its 
rivers. The result was that the men of the Watausfa and 
the Cumberland not only cleared the soil to raise food from, 
not only hewed the wood to build shelter for themselves and 
families, not only hunted the wild game whose meat gave 
them sustenance and whose skin gave them clothing; but 
each was always a soldier, ever on the watch against a re- 
lentless and treacherous foe — a soldier in the cornfield, in 
the hunt, and around the fireside. And the story of the lives 
of the makers of Tennessee under such trying conditions is 
the cherished familiar possession of their descendants; and 
one need not go to the pages of fictitious romance to find 
the golden qualities of manly endeavor and womanly sacri- 
fice. These golden qualities shine in the ver}^ truth of the 
narrative of their adventures. 

The natural hatred of the Indians was kept perpetually 
fanned: first, by the intrigues of the French and Spanish 
traders of the southwest and west, jealous of the thin line of 
English settlers gradually creeping over the Alleghanies and 
moving toward the Mississippi valley; then by the British, 
when the war of the Revolution broke out, endeavoring by 
plots and wiles to unite the great northern and southern 
tribes in one grand alliance, and with them to fall, with all 
the horrors of Indian warfare, upon the rear of the seaboard 
colonists who were fighting so manfully for their independ- 
ence. It is on this account that Gilmore aptly calls this 
handful of heroic riflemen the "rear g-uard of the Revolu- 
tion." Thus, not only as the authors of the first declaration 
of independence at Mecklenburg, May, 1776, not only as 
the break against the tide of British success at King's 
Mountain, but also in holding the Watauga and Cumber- 
land settlements, in boldly carrying the war into the very 
towns of the Indian, thus bending his spirit to theirs, John 
Sevier, James Robertson, Evan Shelby, Isaac Shelby, and 
others were, in defending their own homes, defending also 
the homes along the seaboard. 



8 Qn tbe Matauaa ant) tbe Cumberland. 



The first regularly organized plan on the part of the Indi- 
ans to exterminate the settlers was undertaken by the strong 
tribes of the Cherokees under the noted chiefs, Dragging 
Canoe and Old Abraham. These plans meant skillfully con- 
certed attacks all along the hne of the settlements on the 
CHnch and the Holston Rivers, and at Watauga. At every 
exposed point the Indians carried death and destruction, yet 
the settlers managed to beat them off. It was at the defense 
of Watauga that John Sevier saw his future bride, Kate 
Sherrill, surprised by a band of Indians on the outside of 
the fort, run with the fleetness of a deer, literally club her 
way through a band of howHng savages, leap the palisade, 
and fall into his own arms — a fit bride for the heroic pioneer 
and first Governor of Tennessee. 

These attacks were but a part of a very formidable con- 
spiracy instigated by the British for the purpose of destroy- 
ing the outlying settlements and then pressing on to the 
coast. The colonists recognized the greatness of the dan- 
ger, and at once organized several expeditions to go from 
different directions upon the Indians. These different forces, 
commanded by Col. Jack and Col. Bury, from Georgia ; 
Gen. Williamson, from South Carolina; Col. Christine, Col. 
Sevier, Col. Shelby, and Gen. Rutherford, were all success- 
ful, and by active, vigorous measures the power of the In- 
dians in what is now East Tennessee, North Georgia, and 
the Western Carolinas was forever crippled. 

But how fares it at the hands of the Indians with the little 
band who had landed at the bluffs of the Cumberland in the 
drear winter of 1779 and the early spring of 1780? Thinly 
scattered for thirty miles along the river, it would seem that 
they would be an easy prey for treacherous bands of prowl- 
ing savages. But watchful eyes, strong arms, and stout 
hearts stood in the place of numbers, even when failure 
seemed inevitable. And now in the light of the present, 
when men have enjoyed peace and security so long that 
they shrink from trouble and danger, it is hard to under- 
stand why the pioneer suffered and died to hold a wilderness 



©n tbe MatauGa an& tbe CumbevlanD. 



in the West, with civilization behind him in the East. That 
he held it against the savage, and claimed it for the arts and 
institutions of civilized life, is why we celebrate with festal 
jo}', with civic and industrial display, the year that ends a 
hundred years of State life. 

The winter of 1780 found the settlers on the banks of the 
Cumberland in dire straits. An overflow of the Cumberland 
had partially destroyed their crops; the Indians cut off any 
who dared to get beyond the range of the forts, and threat- 
ened always a general attack; there was scarcely a family 
out of whose number one or more had not been killed; in 
less than a year the little band had been depleted almost 
one-half; their ammunition had nearly all given out. Thus 
they faced the drear}^ prospects of the coming winter with- 
out supplies, without powder, with thinned ranks, and sur- 
rounded on all sides with relentless foes. Under such 
conditions it is not surprising that the stoutest and bravest 
wavered and were ready to give up the enterprise that cost 
them so much and abandon it again to the wilderness and 
the savage. So despairing and hopeless were they that had 
not Robertson infused his courage and unconquerable spirit 
into his comrades they would have faced the perils of the 
journey back to their old homes at Watauga. But they de- 
termined to stand with him and grimly face the dano-ers 
around them. Robertson and Isaac Bledsoe bravely slipped 
through the Indian lines, undertaking for the sake of the 
others the perilous journey to Boonesboro and Harrod's 
Station, in order to obtain powder and other supplies. This 
journey they safely accompHshed in two months, bringing 
to their desponding comrades on the Cumberland the inspir- 
ing news of the victory of King's Mountain and what it 
meant to the cause of American liberty. So with new cour- 
age they took up their own battle with the savages around 
them. The Indians attacked the settlers and drove them 
into the fort standing upon the spot now known as the cor- 
ner of Cherr}^ and Demonbreun Streets. A few days later 
Col. Robertson discovered them on the " Knob," the hill 



10 ®n tbe WatauGa anD tbe CumberlanD. 



upon which the Capitol now stands, rejoicing because they 
had scalped his son and a young man named Hood, and left 
them for dead. He sallied out to meet them, and succeeded 
in bringing in the bodies of the young men after a desperate 
struggle. During this struggle his intrepid wife stood upon 
the lookout of the fort with rifle in hand, intently watching 
its issue. Seeing the Indians in pursuit, she turned loose 
upon them forty savage hounds, thanking God that he had 
put into the Indian " a love of horses and a fear of dogs." 
Hood, the young man who was scalped on this occasion, 
lived many years to tell to his descendants the story of his 
horrible experience. Another pitched battle, known as the 
" Battle of White's Creek," took place across the Cumber- 
land. In this several settlers lost their lives. 

But it was not so much in the open battles that the pio- 
neers suffered as in the stealthy attacks upon small parties 
when they were least expecting them. At no time was there 
any security against such attacks, whether in the field, on 
the hunt, or around the fireside. 

Robertson and his associates were again cheered and 
strengthened by glorious news from the East. John Sevier 
and Evan Shelby had gained decisive victories over the In- 
dians, and Cornwallis had surrendered to Washington at 
Yorktown. The men in the wilderness felt that their cause 
was one with their kinsmen on the coast. 

But their rejoicing was not of long duration. Alarming 
news was brought that the Indians were forming alliances to 
make one great effort to crush out utterly the western set- 
tlement. The head of this alliance was the Creek chief 
McGillivra}^ a man with more white than Indian blood in 
his veins, who had been educated abroad, thus adding to 
the treacherous cruelty and cunning of the Indian the polish 
and intellectual trainincr of the white man. It is said that 
behind McGillivray there were nearly twenty thousand war- 
riors, led not only by his skill, but also kept always fired for 
vengeance by the intrigues of the Spanish. 

Robertson realized that a crisis had come in the life of the 



®n tbe TlXHatauQa an& tbe CumbeiianC). ii 



settlement, now eight years old. It was in the year 1788, 
and these eight years in the wilderness had meant much to 
them. In spite of hardships and dangers the colon}^ had 
grown ; from time to time newcomers would cast their lot 
with them. Immediately after the Revolutionary War large 
bodies of land were given by the State of North Carolina to 
the veterans of the war in payment for their services. Many 
of these came, very materially strengthening the settlement 
in spirit and in the number of trained lighting men. Fields 
had been cultivated, houses built, and around these fields 
and houses had already begun to gather the "home feel- 
ing." In view of these conditions, and in the presence of 
the greatest danger that had ever threatened them, Robert- 
son called together the settlers, in order to decide what was 
best to be done. But they all looked to him as their leader, 
and begged that he, first of all, advise what to do. Appre- 
ciating fully the gravity of the situation, his words were: 
" Whether we go or stay, we may all be destro3^ed. We can 
go to the fort and prepare ourselves for them [the Indians]. 
As for me and my family, we will stay." 

His courage and determination were communicated to all, 
and they unanimously agreed to remain and share his fate, 
whatever that might be. Active measures were therefore 
entered upon for defense. In the meantime, however, Rob- 
ertson tried the arts of diplomacy, so he wrote to both the 
Spanish agent and to McGillivray, protesting against hostili- 
ties. Of course both of these treacherous enemies, especial- 
ly the latter, were for -peace. McGillivray claimed, however, 
that the tribes were all justly incensed on account of Rob- 
ertson's attack upon the Indian town of Coldwater, on the 
Tennessee River, the year previous. This attack Robert- 
son made in the year 1787 because he could no longer en- 
dure the persistent and cruel warfare that the Indians kept 
up upon the settlement. Hence in that year he collected all 
his fighting men in order to try Sevier's plan of boldly car- 
r^nng the war mto the heart of the enemy's country. This 
expedition was signally successful, and the town of Cold- 



12 ®n tbe Matauoa an& tbe CumberlanD, 



water, on the Tennessee River, was completely destroyed, 
the Indians losing twenty-six warriors. The effect of this 
was to give the settlers peace for a short time. 

Notwithstanding his supposed wrongs, however, McGilliv- 
ray agreed to a peace. But in reality the Indians never ceased 
committing their murders and horrible outrages. It is not 
necessary to continue the story of these outrages longer ; the 
meager account already given will serve to suggest, only faint- 
ly perhaps, what the settlers had to endure in their attempt 
to found a State, and it was not until the year 1794 that they 
obtained anything like freedom from these attacks, though 
their policy was always one of conciliation. In this year 
Gen. Robertson, Col. Whitley, and Maj. Ore led what is 
known as the " Nickajack " expedition against five Indian 
towns on the Tennessee River, carrying destruction among 
them and shattering their power. 

But from the narrative of these few pages it must not be 
concluded that the settlers on the Cumberland were doing 
nothing else but fighting Indians. They were doing many 
things besides, and chief among them they were laying the 
foundations of a free State. 

The Cumberland settlers, in May, 1780, just a few weeks 
after the arrival of the Donelson party, drew up articles or- 
ganizing their little company into a form of representative 
government, with executive and legislative powers vested in 
the "Tribunal of Notables," a committee made up of rep- 
resentatives from each of the eight stations. This mere 
handful of Americans on the very outskirts of civilization 
going through with these dignified formalities of government, 
with apparently more important matters pressing upon them, 
seems almost a mockery of civil government. Be this as it 
may, it represents the habit of the Anglo-Saxon everywhere : 
the habit by which he has persistently maintained his free in- 
stitutions all through the centuries. 

Just five years after these articles of association, permis- 
sion was granted by the Legislature of North Carolina to lay 
off the town of Nashville, so named by Gen. Robertson in 



®n tbe "CXIlatauQa an& tbe (Iumberlan&. i3 



honor of his friend, Gen. Nash, an officer of Revolutionary 
War fame. Two hundred acres of land were divided into 
lots of one acre each, to be sold for four pounds of " lawful 
money," with the assurance that the purchaser would build 
a house. Thus the present corporation of the city of Nash- 
ville was begun. 

In the meantime, at Greenville, November 14, 1784, the 
"first Legislative Assembly ever convened in Tennessee" 
met and elected John Sevier Governor of the newly organ- 
ized State of Franklin. This condition of affairs came of 
the dissatisfaction felt with the conduct of North Carolina 
with reference to the western settlements. When the war 
of the Revolution closed these settlements expected of the 
home government better management of their affairs, es- 
pecially better protection from the Indians. But after many 
requests, neither the better management nor a more thorough 
protection from the Indians came. The result was that the 
old spirit of independence asserted itself, and with Sevier as 
Governor, the "State of Franklin," so called in honor of 
Benjamin Franklin, lived for four years in open rebellion 
against the mother State until Sevier was defeated in a con- 
flict with State authorities, and was forever disbarred from 
holding a political office. This prohibition was subsequent- 
ly removed, and in 1790 he had the honor of taking his seat 
as the first Congressman ever elected from the Mississippi 
Valley. 

On the 2d of April, of the same year, George Washington, 
as President of the United States, signed an act approving 
the cession of the district now comprising the State of Ten- 
nessee from North Carolina. WilHam Blount was commis- 
sioned Territorial Governor August 7, 1790. The territory 
was divided into two general divisions: the Washington Dis- 
trict, comprising what is now the East Tennessee counties; 
and the Mero District, comprising the Middle Tennessee 
counties. Of the former district John Sevier was appointed 
major general; and James Robertson, of the latter. The 
President made David Campbell Territorial Judge, and Gov. 



14 On tbc XUatautja an^ tbe CumbciianD. 



Blount appointed Daniel Smith Secretary for the new Terri- 
tory. Thus organized, it grew vigorously on toward state- 
hood, its most perplexing trials coming from the Indians, who 
disputed eyery stage of its progress. 

In the year 1792 Hugh Lawson White incorporated the 
town of Knoxyille. Here Gov. Blount held the seat of his 
government. Knoxville remained the capital until the year 
1813, when it was removed to Nashville; then again it was 
carried back to Knoxville. For a short time it was at i^Iur- 
freesboro, but since 1S20 Nashville has remained the capital 
cit}'. 

June I, 1796, is the significant day in the history of Ten- 
nessee, for upon the record of the Congress of the United 
States we find the followintj act: 

Whereas, by the acceptance of the deed of cession of the State 
of North Carolina, Congress are bonnd to lav out into one or more 
States the territorv tlierebv ceded to the United States. 

Be it enacted., etc.., That the ^vhole of the territorv ceded to the 
United States bv the State of North Carolina shall be one State, 
and the same is herebv declared to be one of the States of the 
United States, on an equal footing with the original States in all 
respects whatever, bv the name and title of the State of Tennes- 
see. That in the next general census the State of Tennessee 
shall be entitled to one Repi'esentative in the House of Represent- 
atives of the United States ; and in all other respects, as far as 
thev may be applicable, the la\vs of the United States shall extend 
to and have force in the State of Tennessee in the same manner 
as if the State had originally been one of the United States. 
Approved June 1, 1796. 

George Washington, Jonathan Dayton, 

President of the United States. Speaker of the House, 

Samuel Livermore, 
Speaker of the Senate pro tcfn. 

Thus, just twenty-eight years after the little band of heroic 
souls took their place on the island in the Watauga, Tennes- 
see was admitted into the sisterhood of States. Andrew 
Jackson, destined to be one of her greatest citizens, gave to 
her the beautiful name of Tennessee. This was the mu- 



On tbe Matauoa an& tbe Cumberland. i5 



sical epithet by which the Indians designated that majestic 
stream that came out of her mountains, bent its way around 
the farthest borders of the western settlements, and poured 
its waters through the "dark and bloody ground " into the 
Ohio. 

Already, however, in anticipation of the act of Congress, 
the Legislature and Senate of Tennessee convened at Knox- 
ville on March 28 of the same year. The result of the re- 
cent election were ascertained to be that " Citizen John Se- 
vier is duly and constitutionally elected Governor of this 
State." And on the 30th of March, in the presence of both 
Houses and of the retiring territorial Governor, William 
Blount, he was inaugurated first Governor of the State for 
which he had done so much. He had led them when they 
had been a meager band of a few hundred pioneers; now, 
as Governor, he was the leader of nearly seventy thousand 
people, henceforth calling themselves Tennesseeans. Thus, 
with John Sevier as her first Governor, Tennessee entered 
upon the first year of her history as a State ; and after a 
hundred years her people are celebrating this year and this 
event. 

In the short account of the facts that led to the making of 
the State two names have appeared in these pages oftener 
than any others, the names of John Sevier and James Rob- 
ertson. Through the enterprise, the courage, the endurance, 
and faith of these two men Tennessee became a State. Both 
were leaders full of resources, and always capable of inspir- 
ing confidence and dependence in their followers. To Se- 
vier the parent settlement on the Watauga owed the victory 
in its strenuous struggle for existence ; to the western settle- 
ment on the Cumberland James Robertson stood in the same 
relation. Without both the history of Tennessee would not 
have been what it is. Hence, in this centennial year, the 
State, looking back of the bare date, 1796, that marks its 
birth, sees these two commanding figures molding the forces 
that made this birth a possibilit}^; and, in recognition of 
what they were and what they did, gratefully keeps their 



16 ®n tbe Matauga an& tbe Cumbeiian^* 



names and their history indissolubly joined with her name 
and her history. 

Both, however, were rewarded by being permitted to live 
long enough to see the infant State, of which each has been 
called " father," pass into a prosperous and vigorous youth, 
free from the dangers and hardships which had so sorely 
beset them. Robertson died September i, 1815, among the 
Chickasaw Indians; still, though a very old man, giving his 
services to his country. Sevier died June 24, in the same 
year, being employed on a government mission in North 
Alabama. Both were interred where they died, but in 
1825 the remains of Robertson were brought to Nashville 
and buried in the old city cemetery, where only a simple 
stone marks his last resting place; while just a few years 
ago the Legislature of Tennessee had Sevier's dust brought 
from North Alabama to Tennessee. It was reinterred in the 
courthouse yard at Knoxville, and over his grave has been 
erected a monument to his memory. 

A fitting close for this sketch of the early history of Ten- 
nessee would be something of the resources of the country 
rescued from the savage and the wilderness by the men of 
the Watauga and the Cumberland. In the first place, before 
entering upon the material resources of the State, it should 
be mentioned that Tennessee has always been a land of 
churches and schools. The Methodist circuit rider, the 
Baptist and the Presbyterian preacher, came with the pioneer 
to his new home and softened the hardships of frontier life 
with the comforts and promises of the gospel. And so it 
was a God-fearing folk that crossed the mountains with rifle 
and ax to prepare the way for the churches and religious 
institutions of all denominations. Moreover, being princi- 
pally Scotch-Irish, they brought with them that race's de- 
cided appreciation of the value and need of ed ication. 
Hence as soon as the pioneer had built a shelter fc himself 
and family his next step was to build a log house for school 
and religious purposes. As early as 1785 Rev. Samuel 
Doak, a graduate from old Princeton, founded Martin Acad- 



®n tbe Matauga anD tf3e Cumberland. \^ 



emy, said to be the first school west of the Alleghany Moun- 
tains. Later, in the same year, James Robertson rode horse- 
back a distance of over twelve hundred miles to the Legis- 
lature of North Carolina and obtained a charter, with a grant 
of two hundred and forty acres of land, for Davidson Acad- 
emy. Rev. Thomas Craighead, also a graduate of Prince- 
ton, was elected first president, and it was opened in the . 
following year at Haysboro, six miles east of Nashville. By 
various changes the present Normal College and University 
of Nashville may be called the descendant of Davidson 
Academy. From such a beginning as this Tennessee to-day 
is dotted with prosperous academies and colleges, with here 
and there a university to crown the entire system. To this 
may be added a rapidly improving common school system. 

Tennessee is far famed for its natural resources. The 
first pioneer could not have conceived what was in store for 
him. Stretching from the lowlands of the great Mississippi 
River to the ragged peaks of the Appalachian chain of 
mountains on the east there are forty-two thousand and fifty 
square miles, or twenty-seven million acres of land. 

The great Civil War upturned the system of slavery. 
Like her sister States of the South, time has been required 
to recover from its disastrous effects. Yet she has rallied 
and come to the front, fully alive to the advantages and op- 
portunities. Of our four larger cities, each one is found in 
a prosperous condition, in spite of depressing times, Nash- 
ville is called the "Athens of the South." It is well to state 
here that Memphis, the beautiful city on the bluff, was the 
first inland cotton market. In the year 185 1 Col. John Pope, 
of Shelby County, received the medal for the finest cotton 
on exhibition at the London Exposition. Memphis is a pro- 
gressi "e, wide-awake city, and her people are full of enter- 
prise. Chattanooga is called Pittsburg No. 2 — a city so 
thrifty and progressive that it has increased more rapidly 
than either of the four principal cities. Knoxville, a great in- 
dustrial center, has had a wonderful degree of development. 
A large portion of East Tennessee abounds in coal, iron, and 
2 



18 ©n tbe ll^atauQa anD tf3e CumberlanC). 



a variety of beautiful marble, the like not known in many 
places. Through Col. Hardee Murfree, for whom it bears 
its name, Murfreesboro was incorporated in the year 1797. 
His descendants there are doing honor to his name, among 
the rest Miss Fannie Murfree, author of " FeHcia," and Miss 
Mary ("Charles Egbert Craddock'"). Columbia, famous 
for her intellectual people, is the county seat of Maury, one 
of the finest counties for stock raising and cotton production. 
Williamson County effected organization in 1799. Commis- 
sioners named Frankhn, the county seat, in honor of Benja- 
min Franklin. Clarksville, on the Cumberland (Indian 
name Shawnee), is famous for being headquarters of Clarks- 
ville tobacco for many years. In the year 185 1 Clarksville 
tobacco received the premium at the London Exposition for 
the best tobacco on exhibition. It is shipped to Germany, 
France, and Spain. Northern counties of West Tennessee 
also raise fine tobacco. They have many thriving towns 
and villages, and raise fine cotton. The West Tennesseean 
loves his money crops, as he calls them, caring little for 
other produce except for home consumption. If he rents 
his land on account of over abundance to work, he prefers 
the cotton to the money in payment. 

Sheep raising has been on the decline in Tennessee for 
man}^ years, although she possesses natural advantages for 
grazing purposes. Mark R. Cockrill, a nephew of Gen. 
James Robertson, whose mother came over with John Donel- 
son on the flagship "Adventure,"' won the medal in the year 
185 1 at the great London Exposition for the finest specimen 
of wool on exhibition. 

Lebanon, the count}- seat of Wilson, has always been con- 
sidered a place of schools of the highest character. Many 
distinguished men have attended the literary and law school 
of Lebanon. 

Gallatin, the county seat of old Summer, is full of mem- 
orable events of the past. Sumner County farmers love fine 
stock, and take great care in the selection of the breed of 
horses and cattle. 



®n tbe TKaatauga anO tbe dumbeiianD. i9 



The first cotton grown west of the mountains was planted 
byCapt. John Donelson in the year 1780, near the " Hermit- 
age," on the east side of the Cumberland River. Maury, 
Giles, Hickman, and portions of Davidson and Williamson 
Counties raise cotton. In the year 1890 one hundred thou- 
sand bales were raised; in the year 1892 eight hundred thou- 
sand bales were raised in Tennessee — a wonderful increase. 
Pulaski, Giles's county seat, is a lovely place, full of enter- 
prising, churchgoing people. Shelbyville, the county seat of 
Bedford, is a thriving town with rich surroundings. Jackson 
is the county seat of the productive county of Madison. 
The most important town of West Tennessee, next to Mem- 
phis, is Jackson. High up in the mountains we find Sewanee, 
the lovely little village which contains our University of the 
South. McMinnville, the county seat of Warren, is the home 
of the old man of the mountain, Col. John Savage. Winches- 
ter, the county seat of Franklin, raises fine corn, an abun- 
dance of hogs, fruits, and vegetables, and possesses fine 
schools. Winchester is famous. Springfield is the county 
seat of Robertson, named for Gen. James Robertson. Rob- 
ertson County raises wheat and fine corn. Much of the 
corn is used in the manufacture of that fine whisky known 
nearly all over the world — Robertson County whisky. 

The cultivation of the peanut was introduced into Hick- 
man Count}^ by Jesse George, who brought the seed from 
North Carolina. Discovering the soil to be of a gravelly 
nature, therefore suitable for its production, he planted his 
first crop with great success, and afterwards it was cultivated 
in Humphreys, Perry, and other counties. The crops at this 
time are valued very highly, being shipped all through our 
own country as well as across the waters. 

As to timber, no State in the United States can be com- 
pared to Tennessee. In passing through this country, 
factories for the manufacture of furniture and plows of Ten- 
nessee hard wood are noticed, as well as hard-wood mantels. 
The swamp lands contain large bodies of cypress, while the 
hills are covered with oak, hickory, and other varieties. East 



20 ®n tbe Matauga anD tbc Cumberland. 



Tennessee abounds with heavy forests of hemlock, pine,, 
spruce, and tvveh^e varieties of oak. Red oak grows in. 
nearly every portion of the State. Black walnut abounds in 
the rich lands; chestnut, on the ridges of East Tennessee 
and in a small portion of the gravelly soil of Middle Ten- 
nessee. Several varieties of poplar measuring twenty-five 
feet in circumference are found in many localities. Syca- 
more, which is very valuable wood, abounds on the borders 
of all the streams in the State. Black and white locust are 
plentiful. 

The manufacture of whisky dates back to 1775. Gen. 
James Robertson, learning of the building of distilleries for 
the manufacture of whisky, obtained the passage of an act 
to prohibit their erection. After many years the law was re- 
pealed, and Tennessee has since furnished her portion of fine 
whisky. Robertson, Stewart, and Montgomery Counties, 
and a portion of Sumner, manufacture whisky. 

The mining and shipping of phosphate rock is a most im- 
portant industry, and very little is known of its wonderful 
development. The rock is found at this time in Hickman 
and Lewis Counties, and has probably been discovered at 
other points. On the line of the Nashville and Tuscaloosa 
branch of the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis railroad, 
sixty miles west of Nashville, the Southwestern, Swan Creek, 
and Duck River Companies, also the Tennessee Mining 
Company, are in operation. Crushers are used, the rock 
being powdered and utilized for fertihzing purposes. 



JEatl^ Settlete on the Matauoa anb 
the (Tumbevlanb. 



-•-•- 



James Robertson, 
Chari.es Robertson, 
Elijah Robertson, 
Valentine Sevier, 
Daniel Boone, 
Robert Boone, 
James Shaw, 
Capt. Leiper, 
James Freeland, 
John Donelson, 
John Rains, 
Cornelius Riddle, 
Samuel Doak, 
James White, 
David Campbell, 
John Tucker, 
John Saunders, 
Robert Hays, 
Anthony Hart 
John Hunter, 
Jonas Greer, 
James Wilkerson, 
Lardner Clarke, 
John Greer, 
George Greer, 
Absalom Tatum, 
Isaac Shelby, 
David Shelby, 
Evan Shelby, 
John Shelby, 
Anthony Bledsoe, 
Isaac Bledsoe, 
Richard Henderson, 
John Doak, 



John Tipton, 
Moses Renfroe, 
Robert Cartwright, 
John Bean, 
Isaac Roberts, 
John Adair, 
John Gentry, 
William Gentry, 
John Flood, 
John Griffith, 
John Sevier, 
William Blount, 
James Blount, 
Elijah Polk, 
James Polk, 
James Knox, 
John Knox, 
Henry Knox, 
Peter Bryant, 
John Ruddle, 
Thomas Gilbert, 
Matthias Maher, 
John Strother, 
James Hubbard, 
Zachariah Cox, 
Thomas D. Craighead, 
John Craighead, 
David Hoss, 
Cesar Hoss, 
David Smith, 
John Gordon, 
John Colbert, 
John Lewis, 
and others. 

(21) 



CUppinos from IRecorbe. 

— •-• — 

THE trip of that wonderful boat, the "Adventure/* 
Col. John Donelson commanding, was certainly a 
venturesome undertaking. The names of those on 
board were as follows: John Donelson, Thomas Hutch- 
ings, John Caffrey, John Donelson, Jr., INIark Robertson, 
Charles Robertson, Mrs. James Robertson and five chil- 
dren, Mrs. Purnell, M. Rounsifer, James Cain, Mrs. Ann 
Cockrill, Isaac Neeley, Jonathan Jennings, Benjamin Belew, 
Peter Looney, Capt. John Blackmore, Hugh Rogan, Daniel 
Chambers, Robert Cartwright, Moses Renfroe, James John, 
William Crutchfield, Hugh Henry, Sr., Benjamin Porter, 
Mrs. Mary Henry (widow), John Boyd, John Cockrill, John 
White, Solomon White, Daniel Durham, John Gibson, Sol- 
omon Turpin. A party had gone before, including Gen. 
Robertson. Log huts were awaiting most of the newcomers. 
Had the weather not been the severest on record, the party 
might have suffered fearfulh' from the Indians. Approach to 
the Cumberland settlement before 1785 was through the wild 
woods of Kentucky. The Legislature of North Carolina 
provided an armed force to protect the buffalo paths. Rob- 
ertson and Bledsoe were trusted friends and regular attend- 
ants upon the Legislature, and generally were of great im- 
portance to the communit}^ When the two began to get 
ready for the journey they had man}^ things to think of, a 
pack horse or two being necessary to answer the demands 
of the mothers on the return of these great men. 

In March, 1784, ten pack horses arrived, after a six-weeks' 
journey from Philadelphia, the roads over the Cumberland 
Mountains being impassable for wagons. 



Gen. Robertson had an abhorrence of the Creeks and 
Spaniards. He once said: " The Spaniards are inspired by 
'22) 



®n tbe Matauaa an& tbe (Iumberlan&. 23 



the devil, the Creeks by the devil and the Spaniards, and 
the worst devil in human form is the Creek chief, McGilli- 
vray." Gen. Robertson corresponded with Mero, Spanish 
Governor of Louisiana, to secure his good will, and went so 
far as to name the Cumberland settlement for him. 



Next to Robertson the most valuable member of the set- 
tlement on the Cumberland was Col. Anthony Bledsoe. He 
settled at a place in Sumner County now called CastaHan 
Springs, and lived in a station with the family of his brother 
Isaac. On the night of July 20, 1788, he was mortally 
wounded. 



Under date of November 28, 1788, Gen. Robertson states: 
"The new road from Campbell's Station was opened, and 
the guard attended parties. About sixty families had passed 
over, among whom were Judge McNairy and the family of 
the late Gen. Davidson." 



Settlement of West Tennessee. 
That portion of Tennessee west of the Tennessee River 
was not settled until the State was in a flourishing condition. 
The lands were owned by the Chickasaws. In 1739 the 
French made an attempt to dispossess the Chickasaws of the 
Bluff (now Memphis), but were defeated. The attempt 
was renewed in 1740 by Bienville. They ascended the river 
in little boats and made an attempt to make peace. In 1782 
Gen. Robertson used Chickasaw Bluffs as a depot, from 
which he sent supphes to the Indians. The Spanish Gov- 
ernor, Gayosa, appeared at the Bluff. Complaint was made 
to Gen. Blount by the Chickasaws. In 1796 a treaty was 
made between Spain and the United States, which settled all. 



The first iron furnace built in Tennessee was in 1790, at 
Ehzabeth, Carter County. Others were built in Greene 
and Johnson Counties in 1797. In the following year Cum- 



24 ®n tbe Matauga anD tbe (Iumberlan&. 



berland Furnace was erected on Iron Fork of Benton Creek, 
in Dickson County, seven miles from the village of Char- 
lotte — named by Gen. James Robertson for his wife. 



Among the early settlers corn bread was the only bread in 
use. The first treadmill was built in 1775, on Buffalo Creek, 
Carter County, and a hominy pounder was built at Eaton's 
Station in 1782. Big hominy pots for boiling were in use. 
Each farmer had his vat, and every member of the family 
was well shod. A funny story is related of our great ances- 
tors: It is said that they secured cow horns and polished 
them and kept them in use to take their toddy. When a 
friend would call the horns were filled, and the visitor asked 
to take a " horn." Hence the expression often heard. 



A thrilling incident I have heard related by my grand- 
mother, youngest daughter of James Robertson. I love to 
tell of the heroic little woman, Charlotte Robertson. The 
men of the fort were off planting corn in the bend of the 
river (now West Nashville). The dogs, making an inces- 
sant howl, gave warning of the nearness of the savages. 
The brave Mrs. Robertson saddled her horse, prepared her 
baby boy (Felix Robertson, first male child born in Nash- 
ville), only a few months old, secured her gun, with ammu- 
nition, and placed it in the hands of Caesar, a ten-year-old 
negro boy. She then mounted her horse, taking her baby 
in front and Caesar, with his gun, behind, turned the dogs 
loose, and securely locked all hands inside the fort. She in 
haste left for the field to find her husband to have him be 
prepared for his friends, the Indians. The dogs refused to 
follow, but left for Buchanan's Station, where the settle/s 
were confined to the stockade by overwhelming numbers. 
Mrs. Buchanan and companions were molding bullets, as 
well as using the portholes for the same. The dogs made for 
the Indians. Mrs. Buchanan, encouraged to know that they 
were being relieved, gave them full benefit of their regiment 
of dogs. Whooping and yelling, the Indians fled. Besides 



®n tbe "CXHatanga anD tbe GumberlanO. 25 



a heroic little woman in times of need, Mrs. Robertson was 
possessed of the tenderest of feelings. She had three sons 
killed by the Indians, one of them twelve years of age, named 
Peyton. Only a short time after the loss of her boy she 
gave birth to another. The father suggested that they name 
him Peyton, but no reply came from the mother's lips. 
While a baby she would speak of him as " my baby; " later 
on, "my son; " when he became a physician, it was "my 
son, the doctor." She could never be reconciled to have 
her boy's place taken, but he remained her " baby boy, 
Pe3'ton." 

It is related that " on one cold morning, wnth ice in the 
river, a number of unexpected horsemen made their appear- 
ance on the Cumberland. Several of the party were sick. 
'Who are you?' said Gen. Robertson. The answer was 
given: 'We are Tories.' Each one had fought against 
the country. They wanted to live in peace, but had noth- 
ing but their strong arms to offer. Being granted protec- 
tion, they would use them in defense of the settlement. 
Most of the settlers had fought under John Sevier. Like 
him, intense in their feelings, they opposed the Tories com- 
ing on the Cumberland, preferring Indians. But Robertson 
opposed their decision. ' This is a free country,' said he, ' in 
which no man should suffer for an opinion. In other words, 
they repent, and want space for repentance, and we have 
space enough for the same and space enough to spare. If 
they show themselves worthy, I propose to let them stay; if 
they do not, we are stronger than they. If their acts deserve 
it, hang them to the nearest tree.' The colony was thereby 
enforced by twenty good citizens." 



The first capitol building of Tennessee was a log house 
eighteen feet square, with a lean-to of twelve feet on one 
side of the house. It was furnished with benches, a bar, a 
table for the use of court and jurors. The prison was of 
the same size and dimensions. The dwellings were of logs 



26 ®n tbe Matauga m\t> tbe Cumberland. 



chinked with clay. The inside furniture consisted of split- 
bottom chairs, a rough pine table, and rustic bedsteads. 



The three sons of Valentine Sevier, whose home was on 
Red River, near the present site of Clarksville, were in a 
boat rowing toward Nashville when they encountered a party 
of Indians and were killed. The sad news was borne to 
their distressed parents by John Price. Was this not enough 
to stir every soul in the settlement to revenge? These young 
men had lost an uncle in the battle of King's Mountain. 



The Indians had a great dread of John Sevier, also of his 
mode of warfare. They gave him the name of " Noli- 
chucky Jack." Some too called him " Little John." 



Evan Shelby, a brother of Isaac Shelby (afterw^ards first 
Governor of Kentuck}^), was killed; also Isaac Bledsoe, a 
dear friend of Gen. P.obertson. 



An old lady named Grandma Hayes lived with her son, 
Capt. Sam Hayes, near the Hermitage, knowm as Ha3'es's 
Fort. Her older son married a daughter of John Donelson, 
and thus became a brother-in-law of Andrew Jackson. In 
the spring of 1793 Samuel had gone for water and was shot 
by the savages. Old Grandma's negroes were captured and 
she was left with one crippled servant. He came in to his 
mistress one morning crying: " Indians! " Mrs. Hayes and 
her servant opened fire on them and continued firing until 
the neigfhbors came to their rescue. Blood was found, which 
showed that she and her bodva'uard had done some work. 



The Shawnees who came from Savannah at one time 
claimed the lands on the C'umberland. For many years the 
Shawnees and Cherokees fought each other desperately. At 
length both nations, fearing a continuation of the bloody 



®n tbe TiXHatauga anD tbe CumbciianD. 27 



conflict, gave up this beautiful country on the Cumberland, 
which abounded in game of every description. Gen. Rob- 
ertson learned that, a century before his time, the Shaw^nees 
had returned to their " happy hunting ground." In the year 
1 710, being again harassed by the Cherokees, they left per- 
manently. 

In the year 1756 Earl Loudon, commander of the king's 
troops, erected a stone fort on the Tennessee River at the 
head of navigation, thirty miles from the present site of 
Knoxville, called Fort Loudon. It was garrisoned by two 
hundred men. In the spring of 1758 a settlement was es- 
tablished around the fort, which became a village. 



In 1 714 a French trader from New Orleans came among 
the Shawnees who were then living on the Cumberland, and 
opened trade with that tribe. His store was on a mound near 
the present site of Nashville, on Lick Branch. 



In 1762 a party of hunters who were hunting on the Clinch 
River passed through Cumberland Gap and spent the winter 
on the Cumberland. 

In 1764 Daniel Boone, Samuel Calloway, and Henry 
Scaggins extended their tour to the lower Cumberland and 
fixed their station at Mansker's Lick. 



Russell Bean was the first white child born in Tennessee. 
Bean's Station was named for him. Perhaps he might have 
been the son of the Mrs. Bean who was captured by the In- 
dians during the encounter at Fort Watauga, and who was 
afterwards liberated and conveved to her home by an escort 
of warriors. 

One of the last enactments of the State of North Carolina 
was one establishing Rogersville, in Hawkins Countv, in 
1780, it being the last town organized by North Carolina. 



28 ©n tbe maatauga anO tbe Cumberland. 



February 28, 1788, Bishop Francis Asbury made a visit 
to the settlements on the Watauga and held the first confer- 
ence west of the mountains. 



In 1806 the District of Mero was divided into four coun- 
ties: Robertson, Montgomery, Dickson, and Stewart. These 
four counties were constituted one district by the name of 
Robertson, courts being held at Clarksville. Jackson, Smith, 
and Wilson Counties constituted the District of Winchester, 
and courts were held at Carthage. Davidson, Sumner, 
WilHamson, and Rutherford constituted another district, 
with the seat of justice at Nashville. The District of Ham- 
ilton was formed in 1793 from the counties of Jefferson and 
Knox. 

The State was afterwards divided into five judicial circuits 
as follows: First circuit, Greene, Washington, Carter, Cocke, 
and Jefferson Counties ; second circuit, Sevier, Blount, Knox, 
Anderson, Roane, Rhea, and Bledsoe; third circuit. Smith, 
Warren, Franklin, Sumner, Overton, White, and Jackson; 
fourth circuit, Davidson, Wilson, Rutherford, Williamson, 
]\Iaury, Giles, Lincoln, and Bedford; fifth circuit, Mont- 
gomery, Dickson, Hickman, Humphreys, Stewart, and Rob- 
ertson. The act creating these courts went into effect Jan- 
uary 5, 1810. Hugh L. White and George W. Campbell 
were judges of the Supreme Court. 



The first Court of Pleas, held in Washington Count}- Feb- 
ruary 23, 1778, consisted of John Carter, Chairman; James 
Robertson, John Sevier, Jacob Womack, Robert Lucas, 
Andrew Greer, John Shelby, William Bean, George Rus- 
sell, Zachariah Isbell, John McNabb, William Clark, John 
McMahan, Benjamin Gist, John Chisholm, Joseph Wilson, 
William Cobb, Richard White, James Stuart, Valentine Se- 
vier. John Sevier was County Clerk ; Valentine Sevier, 
Sheriff; James Stuart, Surveyor; and John McMahan, 
Reefister. 



®n tbe Matauaa an& tbe (Iumberlan&. 29 



The first session of Washington County Court was held 
August 15, 1782, Hon. Spruce McCay presiding. Waight- 
still Avery was appointed Attorney; and John Sevier, Clerk. 



In 181 7 the counties of Roane, Rhea, Bledsoe, Marion, 
McMinn, Hamilton, and Monroe were constituted the sev- 
enth circuit. Henry, Carroll, Madison, Shelby, Wayne, 
Hardeman, Hardin, and Perry were made the eighth circuit 
in 1821. Perry, Henderson, Carroll, and Henry were con- 
stituted the ninth circuit in 1823. Wayne, Hardin, McNairy, 
Hardeman, Fayette, and Shelby formed the tenth circuit in 
1815. Archibald Roane was appointed third judge. 



One of the first acts passed by the Legislature of the 
State of Franklin was to establish a judicial system. David 
Campbell was elected Judge of the Superior Court; and 
Joshua Gist and John Anderson, Assistant Judges. 



In 1788 the government of the State of Franklin ended. 
In May of that year courts under authority of the State were 
held at Greenville. Andrew Jackson, John McNairy, Da- 
vid Allison, Archibald Roane, and Joseph Hamilton were 
licensed as attorneys at law. 



(Brants of Xanb 

B^ Q,i\ccn leiisabetb an^ Charles 1111. In Stxtccntb 
anb Seventeenth Centuries. 

— •-• — 

THE first charter granted English subjects in North 
America was granted by Queen EHzabeth to Sir 
Humphrey Gilbert. It was to be of perpetual effi 
cacy, provided the plantation should be occupied six years. 
It bore date June ii, 1578. Sir Humphrey fitted out boats, 
manned them with experienced boatmen, and sailed for the 
island of Newfoundland, with the purpose to plant a colo- 
ny. He made a mistake by venturing too far north, and 
was lost in a terrific storm. Thus ended the first adventure. 
The second grant given by Queen Elizabeth was to Sir 
Walter Raleigh March 26, 1584. She authorized him to 
take possession of all unoccupied lands, or those not in pos- 
session of Christian people. 

Permission was given to each one of the queen's subjects 
who might accompany Sir Walter to this beautiful new coun 
try to settle on the land he might discover; and he, as well 
as his heirs, empowered to dispose of whatever lands he or 
they deemed suitable to live upon, according to the laws of 
England. 

Sir Walter Raleigh, being one of the most enterprising as 
well as adventurous men of his times, dispatched two ves- 
sels, under command of Capts. Amandas and Barlow, 
who selected the course by the Canary and West Indies 
Islands. They arrived on the American coast July 4, 1584, 
landing on the island Wocoken. Raleiffh's g^rant was named 
by Queen Elizabeth "Virginia." Although ever}^ precau- 
tion was used and every attempt made to settle these grants, 
all terminated disastrously. At the end of Queen Elizabeth's 
(30) 



®n tbe Timatauoa an& tbe Cumberlan&. 3i 



reign, in 1603, not an Englishman had made permanent set- 
tlement on North American soil. In 1607 a more success- 
ful effort was made to establish a colony at Jamestown, in 
Virginia, investing the company with legislative power, in- 
dependent of the crown. In 161 2 a third grant was con- 
ferred upon a company with a more liberal form of govern- 
ment. In 1619 the colonists themselves were allowed a 
share in legislation. In 162 1 a written Constitution was 
brought out by Sir Francis Wyatt. Under this Constitution 
each colonist became a free man. This colon}^ extended its 
southern boundaries to Albemarle Sound. Here the first 
settlers of North Carolina pitched their tents. 

Hearing of the kindness of the people and the excellence 
of the soil, also of the salubrity of the climate, March 24, 
1663, Charles II. made a grant to Edward, Earl of Claren- 
don (conspicuous in the Restoration). Notwithstanding the 
extent of this grant, the owners secured another patent, with 
enlargement of its power. This grant was made June 30, 
1665, and included the territory now comprised in the States 
of North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, 
Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and parts of Florida, Mis- 
souri, New Mexico, and California. The line of thirty-six 
degrees and thirty minutes, extending from the top of the 
Alleghany Mountains to the eastern bank of the Tennessee 
River, separates Kentucky and Tennessee. Among the 
powers granted to these lords as proprietors of this immense 
province were those of dictating a Constitution and laws for 
the people. This grant was surrendered to the King July 
25, 1729, each of the seven receiving twenty-five hundred 
pounds, besides a small sum for quit rents. Earl Granville, 
eighth proprietor, relinquished his claim to the right of gov- 
ernment, by a commission appointed jointly by the king. 
He was given his eighth of the land as follows: North by 
Virginia line, east by the Atlantic, south by latitude thirty 
degrees. Prior to this the government of North Carolina 
had been proprietary; after 1729 it became regal, and the 
province was divided into two governments. North and 



32 ®n tbe Watauga ant) tbe Cumberland. 



South Carolina, in 1732. The Georgia charter, issued irr 
1732, comprised much of the Carohna grant. 

The territory now embraced in Tennessee, from this time 
until the treaty of Paris, continued the property of the Brit- 
ish Government, when all right was relinquished to North 
Carolina. The descendants of Lord Carteret brou^jht suit 
just before the war of 181 2 against the United States Court 
for recovery of possession of the District of North Carolina. 
The history of the establishment of the line thirty-six de- 
grees and thirty minutes as the northern boundary line of 
North Carolina is as follows: James I., King of England, 
May 23, 1609, made a grant to Robert, Earl of Salisbury, 
and numerous others, " of all countries lying in that part of 
America called Virginia, from the point of land called Point 
Comfort all along the seacoast to the northward two hun- 
dred miles, and from the same Point Comfort to the sea- 
coast southward two hundred miles, all that land from sea 
to sea." The above was the enlarged grant of the London 
Land Company, extending along the Atlantic coast from 
Sandy Hook to Cape Fear, from the Atlantic to the Pacific 
Oceans. 

In 1620 the grant to the Plymouth Company made the 
fortieth parallel their southern limit, and established that 
parallel as the northern boundary of Virginia. In March 
Charles II. made his first grant to the propriet'^rs of Caro- 
lina. June 30, 1665, he enlarged this grant to what is fa- 
mous in history as " Mason and Dixon's Line." The lan- 
guage of the second charter of Charles II. pertains to the 
lines as follows: "All the province in America extending 
north and eastward as far north as the Currituck Inlet, west 
of Wyon Creek about thirty-six degrees north latitude, west 
as far as South Sea." 

The boundary line between North Carolina and Virginia 
began to be the source of disgusting disagreements, for the 
reason that the grant of Charles overlapped that of his 
grandfather, James I. The London Company was dissolved 
by King James. When this occurred Virginia became a 



®n tbe Matauga an& tbe Cumberland. 33 



royal province, hence the settlement of the boundary lines 
devolved upon the crown and the land proprietors. Com- 
missioners were appointed in 1710 representing the crown 
and the land proprietors, and they split on a difference of 
fifteen miles. Against the Carolina commissioners serious 
charges were made. January 11, 171 1, the commissioners 
failed to agree. They met at Currituck Inlet March 6, 1728. 
The next step was taken in 1749, when the line was extend- 
ed westward from Peter's Creek, where Col. Byrd extended 
the line, to a point on Steep Rock, a distance of three hun- 
dred and twenty -nine miles from the coast. Virginia's 
commissioners were Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson, father 
of Thomas Jefferson; North Carolina's were Daniel Wel- 
den and William Churton. These lines were satisfactory, 
and remained the boundary line of North Carolina and Vir- 
ginia, as by treaty of Paris in 1763 the Mississippi River 
was fixed upon as the western boundary of North Carolina. 
In 1779, urged by necessity of the western settlement, the 
Legislatures of North Carolina and Virginia appointed com- 
missioners to extend lines westward. They were Col. Rich- 
ard Henderson, Dr. Thomas Walker, William B. Smith, 
and Daniel Smith. The boundary lines remained a disput- 
ed question in some points up to the middle of this century. 
8 





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III! mil ■mill nil til nil illlllli: 



N^l 




E^X 



miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir 

THIS STOVE, $i6. 

Put Up Complete, Ready for Cooking-. 



This make of Stoves was used and indorsed by Mrs. Sarai 
Rorer, during her Lectures and Cooking Exhibitions in this city, anc 
was furnished her by the NASHVII/I^E GASI.IGHT CO. This 
company has recently received the largest shipment of Gas Cooking 
Ranges ever ordered by a Southern company. They are now on ex- 
hibition at their office, 

6ii CHURCH STREET, Nashville, Tenn. 



It is with great pleasure I recommend my Gas Stove. By the use 
of it I am enabled to do my own cooking; otherwise I would be com- 
pelled to hire a cook. There is certainly a fascination about the Stove. 
No Stove equals it for baking fine cakes, roasting — in fact, it excels all. 
In summer you are exempt from heat; in winter you can transfer to 
the dining-room use for heating and cooking combined, by a process 
of oven heat. ■ ' " Mrs. Ann E. Snyder. 



J. H. FALL & CO 



HA.RD\VJ%.ItB 
DEPA.RTJVIEy^T: 

317 North CoUeure Street. 



S.A.BE, DEF'A.RTIklBNT: 

951 North Alarlcet Street. 



BICYCLE A AD REPJi^IR 

DEPARTMENT! 
:il7 N. Colleii-e Street and 
Printer's Alley. 



lAlPBEMBNT 
DEPARTMENT : 
155 and 157 N. Market SI. 



. H. JE^A^LL ^ CO., NnshvillG, Tgiiii. 



0. MOORE. 
D. MOORE. 



OFFICE OF 



GEO. MOORE, Jr. 
R. T. MOORE. 



GEORGE MOORE Zj SONS, 





7iL,x;:r, .L ;, i. ; . i ..r i.,-.i . | . j , |jyr( . C | -. i,,4:fi^ 



e^llifra 



, offi. ID sioRE mm, 

Hard=wood Mantels, Tiling, 
. . Interior Decorating. . . 



© © © 



519 to 529 South Spruce St., 

NASHVII,]vE, TBNN. 
is 



These Mantels are sold in inanu places throughout the South. 



G. P. THRUSTON, Pres. JAMES HcLAUGHLlN, Vice Pres. D. R. JOHNSON, Sec' 

STATE INSURANCE CO. 

CASH CAPITAL, S200,000. 

B. H. STIEF JEWELRY CO.. 

208 and 210 Union Street, NASHVILLE, TENN. 

Largest arid Most Corqplete Jev\,'elry House ir^ tr^e Soiltli. 



Diamond Jewelry Set to Order. 
Watches of All the Standard Makers. 

'« Up to Date " Styles of Jewelry, and 
All the Novelties and Fads of the Day. 



Especial flttention Given to Mail Orders. 

^ JAMES B. Cflf^f^, ManagetT. 

AMERICAN PAPER CO., 



.MANUFACTURERS OF. 



>> IPIAIRIEIIRI > IBIOIXIEISI >> 

OF ALL STYLES 

FOR 

($09fectio9(?rs Drij|$i$t5, /Hillii^i^rs, Dry Qoods, et^. 

FOLDING BOXES ^ SEND FOR SAMPLED 

A SPECIALTY. ^ AND PRICES. 



«m/^ 



^ ]4asl7\}ill( §l7orfl7ar[d Instifuf^ ^w 

^ ^enriGssGG ISasiness (;o11g^g 



Willcox Building', Corner Church and High Streets. 

filiE^flfiDHH FflLili, PPcsident. 

SHORTHAND, TYPEWRITING, BOOKKEEPING, 

TEIvEGRHPHY, PENMHNSHIP, 

AND ALIa RNGLilSH BRAKOHES THOROUGHL.Y TAUGHT. 

Tuition within the Reach of All 

Good Positions for All When Qualified. 

<C0nrLETE C©MIKSE, IHI©nELIIE ^©INiWEINilEKi^ES, 
perfect §atisfac^'ion QiOen or Mone^ l^efar\ded. 

CALL OR WRITE FOR TERMS. 

w. G. COLLIER, President; Authorized Capital, $100,000. 

POPE f ftYLOR, Vice President; ^ 

J. E. ttftRT, Secretaru and Treasurer. 



W. C. COLLIER GROCERY CO., 



WHOLESALE AND RETAIL 



DEALERS IN 




FINE IMPORTED 
ANP DOMESTIC 



Nos. eoi and e03 <3hurch Street, 
(0) @ (g) J^JASHVIbbE, TEJNJN, 

THE BEST IS AIRWAYS THE CHEAPEST. 



The Semiweeldy American! 



ONE DOLLAR A YEAR! 



The Newsiest, Li vest, Best and Cheapest Paper Published in the South. 
An Eight=page Paper, twice a week, for $i a year. 



Think how cheap it is, 104 Papers a Year for 
One Dollar. 

The Semiweekly American needs no mti'o- 
ductioii. It has been imblished in Nashville lor 
over fifty years. How can you do without it? 

The Semiweekly American will keep you 
posted on all local, .state, and national affairs. 

The Semiweekly American gives you an 
Eight-page Paper Twice a Week for less money 
than you can get an eight-page paper once a 
week. 

The Semiweekly American's editorials are 
sharp, crisp, and vigorous. 

The Semiweekly American contains matters 
of interest to the farmer, merchant, laborer, or 
mechanic. 

^^"Write for a Sample Copy of this Great 



The Semiweekly American contains articles 
siiecially prepared for ladies and children. The 
ladies' department is a special feature. 

The Semiweekly American is Democratic 
from head rules to foot slugs, always fighting 
for the people against monopolies and trusts. 

The Semiweekly American is a member of 
the Associated Press, consequently furnishes 
you with the latest telegraphic news from all 
])ortions of the globe. 

The Semiweekly American offers all subscrib- 
ers a Grand List of Premiums to select from. 

The Semiweekly's miscellany and special 
deiiartmcnt is carefully selected and well edited. 
Family Newspaper. Address 



THE SBMIWBBKI.Y AMERICAN, 



NASHVILLE, TENN. 



TLbc IHlaebville :!Bannci% 



The Leading Afternoon Daily 
in the South. 



The Nashville Evening Banner is an independent Democratic journal which 
has achieved a remarkable snccess and stands in the front rank of progressive and 
influential newspapers in Tennessee. It publishes the news of the day impartially, 
and without any coloring for effect, and in its editorial columns boldly and fearlessly 
discusses all matters of public interest without truckling to the dictates or influences 
of any party, organization, or political leaders. The signal success of the Banner is 
the proof of the wisdom of its management and of its standing with the public. Mr. 
(7. H. Baskette is the editor; and Mr. Edgar M. Foster, Business Manager. 

Terms, $5 per year for Daily, and $1 per year for Weekly. 

BANNER PUBLISHING COHPANY, 

NASHVILLE, TENN. 



WRITi^EX AT? ONGEX 



FOR A FREE COPY 
OF THE 



CENTENNIAL EDITION 
^'^ WHEAT SPECIAL 



OF THE 



SOUTHERN 8T0BK FMM 



WHICH IS THE GREATEST 



♦ ♦ ♦ 



AGRICULTURAL SPECIAL 

EVER ISSUED IN THE SOUTH. 



♦ ♦ ♦ 



DROP A. POSTAr. ^^ — 



Southern Stock F^arm, 

m Nashville, Tenn. 



WHY SHOULDN'T IT? m- M 

LK T®g€A 

!5iiM,B5EsswiiiB^ TEN-CENT SOAP. 

Full Weight. Pure Stock. 

Delightfully Perfumed. ^ Handsomely Packed. 

Politics, Literature, Amusement, Society, Sports. 



THE TIMES PUBLISIilNG GOMPAMY 

GUMBERLftND PRESBYT&RlftN BUILDING, 
TELEPHONE 694. NT^SHiZILLE, TENN. 



W. M, PBCK, Editor, Searetary, mid Treasurer*. 



BOARD OF DIRECTORS. 

W. E. Metzqer, President; Chas. W. Harmon, Vice President; 

Thos. D. Craighead, J. P. Drouillard, W. H. Peck. 

WE^ INVITE All Merchants, When in Nashville, to Visit 
Our Factories, Where We Make the 

LARGEST LINE OF BISCUITS AND CANDIES IN THE SOUTH. 
American Biscuit flfg. Co., 

X^^__^___^i4^i6 NORTH MARKET ST., 

XTiger Branb^ Nashvllle, Tenn. 



xnniversit^ of IRasbPille 



peabob^ flormal College. 

William H. Payne, Ph.D. LL.D., 

Chancellor of the University and President of the College. 



INSTRUCTORS. 



William H. Payne, Ph.D., LL.D., 
History, Theory, and Art of Education. 

Julia A. Sears, A.M., 
Mathematics. 

Lizzie L. Bloomstein, 
History and Geography. 

John L. Lampson, A.M., 
Latin Laiiguage and Literature. 

Benjamin B. Penfield, A.M., Ph.D., 
Biology. 

Julia A. Doak, A.M., 
Mathematics. 

A. L. Purinton, M.D., Ph.D., 
Physics and Chemistry. 

Hiram A. Vance, Ph.D., 
English Language. 

Ellery C. Huntington, A.B., 

Greek, Political Economy, and Physical 

Training. 

Mary E. Cheney,* 

Vocal Music. 

Albert p. Bourland, A.M., 

English Literature. 

WicKLiFFE Rose, A.m., 

Philosophy and Pedagogy. 

Elizabeth R. Clark, A.B., 

Librarian and Teacher of Art. 

Charles E. Little, .A..B., 

Latin and Mathematics. 

*Absent in Europe 



LURA TOZER, A.B., 

Winchester Chair of Modern Lmu- 

guages. 

P. H. Manning, A.M., 

Geology. 

Venie J. Lee, A.B., 

Physical Training. 

LuLA O. Andrews, L.L, 

Vocal Music. 

Aristine G. Glover, A.B., 

Principal IVinthrop JModel School. 

MoLLiE Arthur, B.L., 

IVinthrop Model School. 

Marv Lee Clark, 

IVinthrop Model School. 

May Payne, 

First Assistant Librarian. 

Lassie Jones, 

Assistant in Art. 

James M. King, B.S., 

Assistant in Chemistry. 

Alice Oney, 

Assistant in Art. 

Annie Claybrooke Allison, A.B., 

Winthrop Model School. 

Edgar M. Wright, L I., 

Ass^'^tant in English. 

John D MacRae, 

Assistant in Gymnasium. 

W. R Garrett, AM., Ph.D., 

American History. 

one year on leave. 



WII/lvIAM R. PAYNE, Secretary to the President. 



... Ml^DICAI, DBPARTMBNT ... ^^ 

University : 2E ^ Nashville. 



^v^ 
•*/,«' 




JOHN H. Callender m.d. Ph.D. Dean of Faculty. 

W. G. EWING, M.D., PH.G., SECRETARY OF FACULTY. 



li^^^«. ir «j«*xjri» » «^^«j« 






< < FACULTY. ► ► 



T. L. MADDIX, M.T)., 

Professor of Principles of Medi- 
cine and General Pathology. 

W. L. NICHOL, M.D.. 

Professor of Obstetrics, Diseases 
of Children, and Clinical Medi- 
cine. 

J. H. CALLENDER, M.D., Ph.D., 
Professor of Diseases of the 
Brain and Nervous System. 

J. M. S AFFORD, M.B., Ph.D., 

Professor of Chemistry. 

C. S. BRiGGS, A.M., M.D., 

Professor of Surgery. 

W. G. EM^NG, Ph.G.. M.D , 

Professor of Materia Medica 
and Therapeutics. 



C. R. ATCHISOX, M.D., 

Professor of Dermatology, Syphi- 
lology, and Gcnito-urinary Dis- 
eases. 

S. S. CROCKETT, M.D., 
Professor of Anatomy. 

AMBROSE MORRISON, M.D., 
Professor of Physiology. 

J. S. CAIN, M.D. . 

Professor of Practice of Medicine 
and Clinical Medicine. 

M. C. McGANNON, A.M., M.D., 
Professor of Diseases of IVotneti 
and Gynecological Surgery. 

L, B. GRADDY, M.D., 

Professor of Diseases of Eye, Ear, 
Throat, Nose, and Bacteriology. 



J Hon. J. M. ANDERSON, Professor of Medical Jurisprudence. 5 

\ ^ 

The REGULAR Course of Lectures commences OCTOBER i. The PRE= 
LIMINARY Course commences SEPTEMBER 2. The Anatomical Rooms 
open on the latter date, with material free of charge. For Catalogue and 
Announcement, address . . . 

W. G. BWING, M.D., Secretary, 

504 Church Street, = === = Nashville, Tenn. 



^^yM^ 



T^ 



